How to Create Amazing Dashboards with Microsoft Copilot!, by Scott Brant on YouTube. 11 min 42 s.
- Video length
- 11 min 42 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Open your invoice workbook and make sure the data sits in one clean table with a header row. Remove blank rows, merged cells and stray totals so Copilot reads each column correctly.
Open Microsoft 365 Copilot and paste or attach the Excel data. Ask it to build an HTML dashboard with the charts, headline figures and filters you want, described in plain words.
Open the generated HTML file in your browser and click through the charts and filters. Check that every figure matches your source sheet before you change anything.
Send follow-up prompts to adjust the dashboard, such as renaming a chart, changing colours or adding a filter. Copilot edits the same HTML file rather than starting over.
Note that an Excel-based dashboard holds a snapshot of the data. New invoices added to the sheet will not appear until you regenerate the dashboard.
Treat the downloaded HTML file as sensitive. Anyone who opens it can read the embedded data, so do not share it outside the people allowed to see the invoices.
For live data, connect Copilot to a Microsoft or SharePoint List instead. Ask it to build a dashboard from the list so the figures refresh from the source.
Add a test item to the list and reload the dashboard to confirm the new row appears. Then check the list permissions to see who can view the underlying data.
Review sharing settings and test the dashboard as a colleague would before sending the link. Colleagues can view a shared dashboard without their own Copilot licence.
Tips and common mistakes
Clean your table before prompting, because messy columns produce wrong totals and broken charts.
Always compare dashboard figures against the source sheet, since Copilot can misread a column.
Use a List connection when the data changes often, so you are not rebuilding the dashboard each time.
Check list permissions before sharing, because anyone with access to the list can see the raw data behind the charts.
Questions
Do I need a paid Copilot licence to view the dashboard?
No. The person building the dashboard needs Microsoft 365 Copilot, but colleagues can open a shared dashboard without their own licence.
Why does my dashboard show old invoice numbers?
An Excel-based dashboard stores a copy of the data at the time it was made. Regenerate it or switch to a Microsoft List connection for live figures.
Is it safe to email the HTML dashboard file?
Be careful. The data is embedded in the file, so anyone who receives it can read the invoice details. Share it only with people allowed to see that data.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
